Workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse have begun voting in a “historic” trade union recognition ballot that could allow UK employees of the online retailer to bargain collectively for rights and pay for the first time.
More than 3,000 workers at the West Midlands hub will take part in the vote, which closes on Saturday, in a long-running battle over workers’ rights between trade unions and the US company.
Workers were granted the right to hold the legally binding ballot by the independent Central Arbitration Committee after a campaign by the GMB union, which is running the ballot. Amazon had rejected a request for voluntary recognition.
If staff vote to support recognition, the GMB would be given the right to represent them in negotiations over pay and conditions in what would be the first instance of Amazon recognising a union in the UK. The results are expected next week.
Andy Prendergast, the GMB national secretary, said workers had “come together because of the poverty pay and unsafe conditions Amazon has thrust upon them”.
“They want the same fair pay and safe conditions any of us would demand. GMB members face shocking levels of intimidation, fear and abuse at the hands of bosses for daring to fight,” he added.
“Amazon has had every chance to do the right thing; now workers are taking things into their own hands to make work better.”
Protests will take place at Amazon warehouses across the UK as voting begins on Monday, including sites in Warrington, Dunfermline, Swansea and Tilbury. A separate rally outside the retailer’s London headquarters will also take place, attended by Kate Bell, the assistant general secretary of the TUC.
GMB’s recognition in Coventry would be a landmark moment after years of campaigning by trade unions over pay and conditions for workers in Amazon’s network of warehouses across the country. While several other locations have workers who are trade union members, the West Midlands site has the most.
Staff in Coventry have been carrying out a series of strike actions for more than a year, demanding pay of £15 an hour and a seat at the table in negotiations. Workers have complained of the company using anti-union tactics, including QR codes displayed around the building, which, when scanned, generated an email to the GMB cancelling union membership.
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The vote in Coventry comes in the first full week of a Labour government after Keir Starmer’s party campaigned in the general election to improve workers’ rights, including making it easier for unions to organise in workplaces across Britain.
As part of a drive led by the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, Labour has promised to legislate within the first 100 days to launch a “new deal for working people”. Unions, however, are concerned the plans could be watered down as a result of business lobbying, and are pushing for rapid action.
An Amazon spokesperson said it had increased starting pay by 50% since 2018 to £12.30 or £13 an hour depending on location, and had a positive work environment, benefits and career opportunities.
“Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have. We regularly review our pay to ensure we offer competitive wages and benefits,” they added.